Pro Handyman Blog

Low Hot Water Pressure

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Low hot water pressure can be confusing to some people. People immediately think the water heater is to blame, but that isn’t always the case. If you have hot water, the problem isn’t the water heater. Incoming water pressure pushes water into the water heater and then out to your fixtures. The problem is more likely with your fixture or a valve somewhere.

The big question is, do you have low water pressure in the entire house or just one fixture? The key is to isolate the problem. If the problem is just at one fixture, then concentrate on that one fixture. If you have low pressure in the entire house, check the supply valve that controls the incoming cold water into the water heater (since cold water throughout the house is not a problem, you can exclude issues dealing with cold water). If that valve is a gate valve, I would focus on that. Gate valves can corrode and the gate can shear off and either partially or completely block the water from passing. This could be the issue if you have low hot water pressure throughout the entire house (or none at all).

If the problem is in a shower, and the valve has a single handle that controls both hot and cold, I would probably replace the cartridge in the valve. This is a common issue, especially with Moen posi-temp shower valves. Replacing the cartridge will fix the problem.